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Vol. XXVII No. 14, November 1-15, 2017

Quizzin’ with Ramanan

(Quizmaster V.V. Ramanan’s questions are from October 1 to 15. Questions 11 to 20 relate to Chennai and Tamil Nadu.)

1. In which world-famous US city did a lone gunman go on a shooting rampage on October 1st leaving at least 59 people dead and 527 others injured?
2. Which organisation has been awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons”?
3. Which European nation recently became the smallest nation by population to qualify for a FIFA World Cup?
4. Which pioneering chat messenger from AOL is to shut down on December 15th, 20 years after its inception?
5. From which respected UN body has the USA and Israel decided to withdraw, citing anti-Israel bias?
6. Which legendary cartoonist/artist’s home in Santa Rosa, California, was destroyed, along with his priceless personal collection and memorabilia, by wildfires that ravaged that US State?
7. Which award-winning actor has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, succeeding the controversial Gajendra Chauhan?
8. Which place of worship in Tamil Nadu has been adjudged as the cleanest iconic place in the country under Swachhta Hi Seva (the ‘Cleanliness is Service’ programme?
9. After which BJP ideologue has Kandla Port, the country’s largest in terms of volume of cargo handled, been renamed?
10. Name the eminent doctor and scientist who has become the first Indian (and Indian woman) to be appointed as the Deputy Director General of the World Health Organisation?

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11. Name the Kongu Jain who wrote Sivaka Chintamani, one of the five big Tamil epics.
12. In which temple is the deity in the ‘Utthana Sayanam’, a posture akin to the process of getting up, thanks to a request by Thirumazhi-sai Azhwar?
13. Which place on the ECR, near Kalpakkam, was once called Raja-na-ra-yan Pattinam?
14. Which society was founded in 1857 by Army doctor Alexander Hunter?
15. Which former Chief Minister’s uncle was the composer-singer Papa-na-sam Sivan?
16. After which legendary vocalist is erstwhile Griffith Road in T’Nagar named?
17. Which is the oldest Freemasons Lodge still functioning in Chennai?
18. Which Chennai-based musician has won the 30th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for 2015-16 for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country?
19. The steps of the Kapaleeswarar Tank are due to the efforts of which theatre personality, whose family once had hereditary trusteeship rights to the temple?
20. Which area in Chennai was named in 1952 after the Tamil year when the colony was developed?